The present invention relates to a lubricant circulation system and, more particularly, to a lubricant circulation system for circularly supplying a cooled lubricant to a rotary equipment so as to lubricate bearings of the rotary equipment.
In rotary equipments such as pumps for delivering liquid, proper lubrication is required between a rotary shaft and shaft supporting bearings to minimize wear of a rotation interface therebetween. The lubrication further provides dissipation of heat generated by friction between the rotary shaft and the bearings. However, leakage of the lubricant is liable to occur, resulting in dry friction of the interface between the rotary shaft and the bearings and, thus, causing damage to the rotary shaft or even sparks that may lead to a fire. Further, the lubricant in the rotary equipment deteriorates due to high heat generated from the friction at the rotation interface.
To prevent the above-mentioned problems due to leakage of the lubricant, an oil cup containing a supplemental lubricant is generally mounted outside of the rotary equipment and connects a conduit to a lubricant filling inlet of the rotary equipment. Once the lubricant in the rotary equipment is below a given level, an immediate supply of the lubricant can be provided by the oil cup. However, the additional lubricant from the oil cup can not circulate in the rotary equipment and, thus, can not provide heat exchange to cool the lubricant in the rotary equipment so that the resultant lubrication effect is still unsatisfactory.
Thus, a need exists for a lubricant circulation system that can circularly supply a lubricant to a rotary equipment while providing heat exchange to cool the lubricant in the rotary equipment.